Steam locomotive



March 5, 1929. .J. E. MUHLFELD STEAM LOCOMOTIVE Filed March 1.927 2SheetsSheet 7 INVESTOR, %WMZ/Z /f/(Z MATT NEY Jzz March 5, 1929. J. E.MUHLFELD 1 704143 STEAM LOCOMQTIVE Filed March 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INNTOR l M ATTORNEY 1 g @izE/Wza $51263 v Patented Mar. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. MUHLFELD, OF SCARSDALE, NEW YORK.

STEAM LOCOMOTIVE.

Application filed March 9, 1927. Serial No. 178,935.

with multiple cylinders for compounding and expansibly utilizing thesteam.

It is the primary object and purpose of my present improvements toprovide a novel arrangement of the high or of high and low pressurecylinders on each side of the locomotive or of high pressure cylinderson one side and low pressure cylinders on the opposite side andtheconnection of the cylinder pistons with the driving wheels whereby amore distributed and uniform application of the powerful driving forceis obtained, thereby reducing the tendency of the driving wheels toslip.

It is also an important object of the invention to provide an improvedarrangement of the driving connections between the cylinder pistons andthe driving wheels so that thedynamic augment or undesirable cifect ofthe mechanical-forces out of equilibrium, as when the piston of the highpressure cylinder is exerting a pushing impulse on the drive wheel crankpin while the piston of the low pressure cylinder is exerting a pullingimpulse on the crank pin, will be appreciably reduced.

It is another important object of my present improvements to provide anarrangement of the. high and low pressure cylinders and the drivingconnections which will obviate localized stresses in the main frame andthereby greatly reduce fatigue, and in which such stresses incident tothe power impulses of the cylinder pistons will be divided-and more orless equally distributed over the frame both forwardly and rearwardly ofthe main driving axle.

In a preferable embodiment of the invention, I mount or arrange .highand low pressure cylinders on each side of the locomotive at the frontand rear ends respectively of the locomotive frame and in line ,witheach other and connect all of the cylinder pistons with the same pair ofdriving wheels.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theimproved steam locomotive and in the form, construction and relativearrangement of the several parts as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

and subsequently incorporated in the suboined claims. I

In the drawings, wherein I have illustrated several simple and practicalembodiments of the invention, and in which similar reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

7 Figure 1 is aside elevation of a multiple cylinder compound locomotiveembodying my present improvements and showing the pistons of the highand low pressure cyliners both connected with the axle of a single pairof driving wheels;

F g. 2 s an enlarged detail section illustratlng one Way of connectingthe ends of the connecting rods with the crank pin of the drive wheel inthe arrangement shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Ina co-pending application for patent filed November 26, 1926, SerialNo. 150,886, I have n f 1 shown a high pressure compound locomotivehaving high and low pressure cylinders at opposite sides thereofarranged in longitudinally spaced relation. In this disclosure however,the high pressure cylinder is arranged above and at an obliqueinclination with respectto the low pressure cylinder and the cylinderpistons are connected with separate pairs of'drivers. Also, the highpressure cylinders are located substantially midway of the length of theengine frame. The subject matter of. the present application, in one ofits important features, distinguishes from my prior invention, in thatat each side of the locomotive a low pressure-cylinder 5 is suitablymounted or arranged at the forward end of the locomotive fra'me while ahigh pressure cylinder 6-is mounted at the extreme rear end of the frameat each .side thereof, and these high pressure cylinders are in linewith the respective low pressure cylinders 5. Any suitable means may beprovided for supplying the high pressure steam from the locomotiveboiler to the high pressure cylinders 6, the steam being conducted fromsaid cylinders through suitable pipe connections indicated at 7 to thelow pressure cylinders 5 where it again expands and exerts an additionalpower impulse against the pistons in said cylinders in the usual manner.It will of course, be understood that these cylinders are provided withthe usual accessories whereby the steam is alternately admitted to theopposite ends of the cylinders so that there are four power impulses ineach revolution on each side of the locomotive, namely, one at each endof each cylinder.

The piston rods 8 and 9 respectively, of the low and high pressurecylinders are connected in the usual manner with the cross heads 10 and11. In Fig. 1 of the drawings, I show five pairs of driving wheels 12.As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the crank pin 13 of the central pairof drive wheels at each side of the locomotive is connected by theforwardly extending connecting rod 14 with the cross head 10 of the lowpressure cylinder and by the rearwardly extending connecting rod 15 withthe cross head 11 of the high pressure cylinder. The crank pins of theother pairs of driving wheels at each side of the locomotive are coupledwith each other and with the crank pin 13 by the rods 16.

In Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, I have shown the outer end of thecrank pin 13 provided with a diametrically reduced portion 17 upon whichthe sleeve 18 is loosely engaged and is held against longitudinalshifting movement between the annular shoulder at the inner end of thepart 17 of the crank pin and the plate 19 secured upon the outer endthereof by the nut 20. This sleeve is received in openings provided inthe spaced arms 21 of the bifurcated end of the connecting rod 14, andis secured in fixed relation thereto by suitable screws 22. Upon the1ntermediate part of the sleeve 18 between the arms 21, a collar 23 isloosely engaged and is received in an opening provided in the end of theother connecting rod 15, saidcollar being secured in fixed relation tothe connecting rod by the screw 24.

From the above, it will be apparent that by the arrangement of theindependent low and high pressure cylinders on each side of thelocomotive at the front and rear ends respectively, of the frames, theWeight of the power producing and transmission means is more equallydistributed over the driving wheels and the engine wheel base. Also, asthe pistons working in these cylinders at each side of the locomotiveare coupled with the same crank pin, the power impulses transmittedthrough the connecting rods will operate in unison as well as in equallyspaced and overlapping relation with each other. This results in a morepowerful and uniform application of the driving force on each of themain drive wheel crank pins and a corresponding reduction in thetendency for the driving wheels to slip. Also, when the piston of thehigh pressure cylinder is exerting a pushingimpulse on the crank pin andthe piston of the low pressure cylinder is exerting a pulling impulse onsaid crank pin or vice versa, the dynamic augment or increase in theundesirable effect of the mechanical forces out of equilibrium which isincident thereto will likewise be reduced over that which is usuallyencountered where the connecting rods of the high and low pressurecylinders are connected with the crank pins of different pairs ofdriving wheels. This is particularly true in the usual arrangement ofthe high and low pressure cylinders. Also by reason of the mounting andarrangement of these cylinders at the opposite ends of the frame and theconnection of one of the cylinders with the same pair of driving wheels,a more uniform distribution of the stresses over the frame will beobtained instead of being moreor less localized or concentrated on theframe structure between the main driving wheel axle and the front end ofthe frame as is the case in the conventional arrangement of thesecylinders and power transmission means.

It will be apparent to the skilled locomotive engineer that theaccompanying illustrations of the several novel features of myimprovements are more or less diagrammatic and that in the form,construction and relative arrangement of the various mechanical parts,my present disclosure is susceptible of embodiment in various otherstructural forms. Accordingly, I reserve the privilege of resorting toall such legitimate changes therein as may be fairly embodied within thespirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In a steam locomotive, structurall independent cylinders mounted uponeae side thereof and at opposite ends of the locomotive frame, thedriving rod to each cylinder on one side of the locomotive beingdirectly coupled to the same crank pin of one pair of main drivingwheels.

2. In a steam locomotive, structurally independent cylinders mountedupon each side thereof and at opposite ends of the locomotive frame, thedriving rod to each cylinder on one side of the locomotive being coupledto the same crank pin of one pair of main driving wheels, the couplingincluding means for delivering the power thrust from each driving rodover. the same area of the crank pin.

3. In a steam locomotive, a group of coupled driving axles, steamcylinders mounted upon each side of the locomotive frame at the frontand rear ends thereof, a pair of driving wheels carried by each of saidaxles, and means for directly coupling the driving rod to each cylinderon one side of the locomotive to the same coupling crank pin connectionbetween one of said driving axles and the adjacent driving axles.

4. In a steam locomotive, structurally independent cylinders mountedupon each side thereof and at opposite ends of the locomotive frame, agroup of coupled driving axles each ioo having a single crank pin and apair of drivand loosely engaged upon said first named ing Wheels on eachaxle, and means for co-ubushing whereby the power thrust of each 10pling the driving rod to eachcylinder on one driving rod is transmittedthrough the latter side of the locomotive to the crank pin on onebushing to the same area of the crank pin. driving axle, said meansincluding a bush- In testimony that I claim the foregoing as ing mountedin one of the driving rods and my invention, I have signed my namehereto. loosely engaged upon the crank pin, and a bushing mounted in theother driving rod JOHN E. MUHLFELD.

